Contracting and Acquisition (CP-14)

Program Strategy

The Competitive Professional Development (CPD) Program within the Contracting and Acquisition Career Program (CP-14) emphasizes distribution of funds across a wide spectrum of training, education, and developmental activities to prepare our workforce for the challenges of today's Army mission. The application processes are published in the applicable announcement and a scheduled Competitive Professional Development Review Board develops an Order of Merit Listing forwarded to the Functional Chief Representative (FCR) with recommendations. The components of the CPD Program are found in the CP-14 ACTEDS Plan.

Program Elements

The CPD Program elements consist of education, development, and training.

University Training

Academic Requirements for Undergraduate and Graduate University Training

Course of study must be from an accredited institution in any of the following academic disciplines: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, and organization and management as prescribed in 10 USC 1724. Evaluation of Government completed courses should be submitted to the University for credit to avoid duplication.

Students are required to maintain a "B" average for graduate level courses and a "C" average for undergraduate level courses. Failure to maintain this grade point average may result in removal from the course of study. The Activity Career Program Manager (ACPM) will verify that the grade levels are being maintained and the students shall send a grade report after each semester/quarter to

The Government's interests must be protected when an employee fails to complete training for which DA pays all or part of the training expenses. If the student fails to complete training satisfactorily or does not fulfill the Agreement to Continue in Service, the guidelines of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 410.309(c) will apply.

University Eligibility Requirements. Must be Level II certified; in the grade of GS-11 or higher/equivalent broad/pay bands; have served in or registered in Career Program 14 with a career status appointment, Schedule A excepted appointments without time limitation, or excepted appointments in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS).

Cost Sharing of Non-Government Training (University). Backfill salary dollars for individuals in the University Training Program will not be provided. This is in order to maximize the opportunity for as many CP-14 personnel as possible to participate in the CPD Program. Expenses are limited to books and tuition.

University Training Program Dates. Applicants are requested to plan for at least a three -semester lead-time due to the lengthy approval process of the application package and the training requests.

Location of University Training. Except for distance learning, applications will be considered only for accredited college/university of choice within the applicant's local commuting area. Employees will remain on their organization's TDA and the organization continues to fund the employee's salary and personal benefits.

The Office of the DASA(P), Arlington, Virginia. These assignments are open to all DA employees at the GS-12 through GS-15 level/equivalent broad/pay bands in CP-14.

Developmental assignments ensure that individuals receive experiential work, based on an approved training plan, in one of the directorates in the Office of the DASA(P). An assignment may include additional travel to other locations. Assignments will enhance the individual's understanding of the Army's programs, issues, interaction/integration with Federal/DOD Joint Services, and Army Policy.

CP-14 personnel competitively selected will perform the duties as a staff action officer depending on their professional experience. In this capacity, the selectee will review and analyze issues to determine impacts on contracting and acquisition. They will participate in the development of Army policy, serve as a team member on the projects, and assist in the development of Army policies and procedures for Contracting Career Management.

Assignment Dates. The number of assignments and start dates may vary depending upon the number of applicants, availability of funding, and organizational needs.

Authorized travel and per diem costs will be funded in accordance with the JTR.

Commands will not be reimbursed for salaries and personal benefits for training participants or costs incurred through temporary backfill of the vacated position.

Workshops, Symposiums, and Conferences

Conferences are announced through chain of command for competitive process to attend. Army employees may attend conferences as training when determination has been made that the conference, workshop, or symposium is a training activity. CP-14 may attend conferences after all of the approvals have been obtained by the applicable approving authority.

Two types of Executive and Management training are available to CP-14 careerists. The first is Executive Management Education, normally four weeks or more in length from premier universities or executive training institutions. The second type is short-term, focused executive training. Executive Management Education is intended to prepare Army contracting leaders to manage Army Contracting now and in the 21st Century.

Executive Management Programs

This program provides many executive programs from different preeminent educational institutions. The exact dates of individual course offerings and deadlines for application will be announced through applicable Activity Career Program Manager. (ACPM)

Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) Program. The SEF is an intensive executive education program designed for exceptionally promising managers. This program addresses the needs of managers who are setting strategy, evaluating program choices, and managing relationships with the external political environment. The curriculum will provide them with skills required for leadership in the development of public policies and programs. The program is 4 weeks in duration. GS-15 or high potential GS-14.
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
http://ksgexecprogram.harvard.edu/

Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS). This is the flagship course of FEI and develops agency career executive corps by focusing on personal, political, and conceptual skills essential for a government executive to lead an organization. This is a 2-week course. GS-15.
https://leadership.opm.gov/programs.aspx?c=5

Management Training Programs (Leadership)

Applicants will annotate the training on their Individual Development Plan (IDP) and have the training approved by their supervisor.
They will also complete and submit the application documents in the GoArmyEd virtual gateway https://www.goarmyed.com/

This training is focused on specific functional and multi-disciplinary topics that will help contracting and acquisition professionals accomplish their organizational mission and grow professionally. The listing of sources and subjects offered is representative. Specific course titles, dates, and application procedures will be posted on the school's website.

The Federal Executive Institute (FEI), Charlottesville, VA. Team Building and Team Leadership; Collaborative Leadership: Working with Others; Management Development: Leading from the Middle; and Management Development: Leading Organizations.
https://leadership.opm.gov/index.aspx

John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138. Senior Executives in National and International Security.
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/

Executive Education, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550. Power and Leadership: Getting Below the Surface;
Managing Individual and Organizational Change; Leading Organizational Effectiveness; True Leadership: Leading with Meaning; Leading Teams for Growth and Change; Management Essentials for Developing Leaders; Strategic Decision Making; Strategic Thinking and Action; Negotiating Success: A Learning Laboratory; U.S. Army Understanding Industry Course; and the Advanced Program in Acquisition Excellence.
http://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/Executive-Education

The Civilian Education System (CES) is the foundation of the Army's leader development program for all Army Civilians, providing progressive and sequential education courses throughout their careers. CES is centrally funded by HQDA G-37/Training Directorate for most permanent Army Civilians, including but not limited to general schedule (GS), non-appropriated fund (NAF), local national (LN) and wage grade (WG) employees. CES leadership courses, or designated equivalent courses, are required for all Army Civilians. Employees should include attendance at the CES course for which they are eligible in their Individual Development Plans (IDP).

Employees are eligible to attend the CES course that is targeted at their grade level. GS-01 through GS-09 employees are eligible to attend the CES Basic Course; GS-10 through GS-12 employees are eligible to attend the CES Intermediate Course; and GS-13 through GS-15 employees are eligible to attend the CES Advanced Course. NOTE: All Army Civilians who were hired after 30 September 2006 are required to take the Foundation Course prior to enrolling in either of the CES courses.

Academic Degree Training (ADT) Checklist - Employees requesting ACTEDS funds to obtain an academic degree (training or education with the stated objective of getting an academic degree) must provide the information found in the "ADT Checklist" below.

Career Program ACTEDS Plans - Information about career management training, education, and development is provided in the individual ACTEDS plans. Individual plans may be found using the ACTEDS link below.